Microsoft has added several new security features, most of which work behind the scenes, such as the SmartScreen antispam tool and what Microsoft claims is an improved spammer detection infrastructure.

The one security measure you will notice is the "trusted senders" feature, which puts a green safety logo next to legitimate senders that are often the target of phishing scams, such as banks. Hotmail identifies those messages that are from valid financial institutions and other targeted companies, making it less likely that you'll be victimized by a phishing attack.

When you log into the new version of Hotmail, you don't immediately go to your in-box. Instead, you begin with a Hotmail highlights page (it actually lives on Windows Live rather than Hotmail) that grabs the latest information from your social networks, including and MySpace, as well as your contacts on Windows Live Messenger. (At this point, and LinkedIn are not available.)

This lets you see updates on Facebook without having to leave Hotmail. You'll be able to make comments on those updates, and they'll appear on Facebook, again without leaving Hotmail. You can even view videos posted on Facebook. You can't, though, post to your Facebook page.